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Herb-Robert

Herb-Robert

Geranium robertianum

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How common: Common

Herb-Robert is a small, soft geranium that lives one or two years. It has pink flowers and often reddish, branching stems. You can spot it in shady, rocky and woodland places, on old walls and in gardens. It is native to much of Europe and western Asia and has spread widely to other regions.

Did you know?

  • When crushed, the whole plant gives off a strong, unpleasant smell.
  • In bright places the stems and even leaves often turn red.

About the species

Identification

15–40 cm tall, with many-branching, often red stems that feel bristly. Leaves are soft, light green and finely divided into 3–5 deep sections, giving a lacy look. Small pink flowers, about 1–1.5 cm across, have five rounded petals with pale veins; the green tips behind the petals are sharply pointed. Seed cases ripen to dark brown and hairy with a net-like pattern. The plant smells strong and unpleasant when rubbed; the reddish stems and smell help tell it from other wild geraniums. Flowers June–September.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

rock

Flowering

Jun–Sep

About the habitat

Grows on mossy rocks, boulder heaps, rocky ledges and shore woods, and also in gardens and other disturbed, shady or partly shaded places. Common in southern Finland; rarer in Central Finland.

Sources

Photo: Achim Lammerts (Syntaxys), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2026-04-25 Z5-6100E Achim-Lammerts Geranium-robertianum.jpg

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Kulttuuriympäristöt: kedot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39149

Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Gagea-Hepatica, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39149

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haisukurjenpolvi

See also